Our Shared Responsibility

Churches have an obligation to address the opportunities and potential for the abuse of children with a determined, intentional preparedness effort. Work to create an environment where it is virtually impossible for sexual abuse to occur on church property during church ministries and events.

Every Christian’s moral and legal responsibility is to report any suspicion of a child’s abuse to law enforcement authorities.

Pastors, ministers, church leaders and volunteer workers may not know enough about a situation or may be afraid of making a false accusation, but the obligation to report our suspicions still stands. Churches are not equipped to conduct the kind of investigations required in abuse cases, and, in any event, local police departments are the appropriate authority tasked and equipped for this purpose.

Mandated Reporters

Any abuse—whether it be sexual, physical or any other criminal act—should be reported to local police without delay. If a crime has been committed, the first responsibility is to notify local law enforcement authorities. Taking merciful and attentive care of any alleged victims and their families is also a primary responsibility.

After these steps have been taken, the church must conduct pastoral care and church discipline work. This process starts with an incident report and ongoing caring ministry to any alleged victims, parents and family.

As church leaders, we have the high calling and duty to safeguard the minor kids and students entrusted to us. This requires a robust abuse prevention policy to provide for the safety of everyone in our care.

General Abuse Prevention Guidelines

Background Checks

Require background checks for any paid staff or volunteers who work with children in any capacity. Conduct periodic audits of ministry volunteer lists to ensure that background check procedures are being followed.

Screen workers who work with preschoolers, children, middle school and high school students with due diligence. Make no screening exceptions for student workers.

Anyone with a history of sexual crimes (whatever the offense category and whether the sex crime was specifically against children or not) should not be allowed to work with preschoolers, children or students.

Create a policy to govern all interactions with minor children at any church event or regular ministry programming. Find a range of resources and guidance in the documents below, but some big rocks for an abuse prevention policy might include:

• Two Workers Rule – Always staff two or more workers per classroom or group. No worker should ever be alone with a child or a group of children. Make this rule a matter of policy for all ministries and organizations attached to the church.
• Active Supervision – Ministry staff, ushers or church security should make frequent visits to areas and hallways used for preschool, children and student ministry.
• Open Doors – During ministry events and activities, no classroom door in utilized areas should be locked. Auto-lock doors should be removed from areas used by minor children, unless required by law or for safety considerations.
• Windows – Classroom doors and preschool nursery areas should have windows.
• Bathrooms – For single-occupant (non-public, non-multi-occupant) preschool or child bathrooms, doors should be kept cracked whenever a child is taken to the bathroom by an adult worker.
• Limit Abuse Opportunities – Think through activities, camps and events with an eye for abuse opportunities and potential landmines. Do not allow or ask workers to be alone with a child or student.
• Environment – Create an environment where it is virtually impossible for sexual abuse to occur on church property during church ministries and events. Abuse prevention policy, guidelines, training, audits, awareness, security and video surveillance all play a role in creating this environment.
• Video Surveillance – Consider the use of video cameras in all areas used by preschoolers, children and students. Video surveillance can be passive, meaning that recordings are made and kept for a specific period of time, without active viewing of archived material except in cases of alleged abuse or an incident.
  
  

• Police Report – Report any evidence or signs of child sexual abuse to your local police department. Make no exceptions to this rule. Police investigators are the ones best prepared to investigate abuse claims and evidence.
• Incident Report – Complete an incident report for the church’s records. Find generic accident report and incident report forms in Forms & Documents.

• Train – Proverbs 3:13-14
• Screen – Proverbs 2:11
• Protect – Psalm 140:4
• Report – Proverbs 31:8-9
• Care – Psalm 147:3; 9:9